


Of Souls and Fragments

by anorangecarrot



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Amnesia, Angst, Gen, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multiplicity/Plurality, Nonbinary Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Red - Freeform, Sporadic Updates, Tags May Change, agender past!allen, allen's pretty much 'unconscious' for a majority of this i guess, also if you don't know who link is then spoilers???, everyone hates lvellie, i'm too lazy to add more character and relationship tags, lots of headcanons, my first fanfic!!, not beta read haha, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26877712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anorangecarrot/pseuds/anorangecarrot
Summary: 9:42, 2 November 1886At present, Walker’s status remains unknown. Chief Officer and Branch Head Komui Lee created a potion - the Rejuvenating Potion 2.0, which causes the consumer to revert both physically and mentally to their childhood years - under Director Lvellie’s request. This way, we will be able to study Walker’s person and investigate any possible connections he had with the Fourteenth Noah in the past. After being injected with the liquids, Walker was rendered unconscious for unknown reasons. Ever since then, he had not made any signs of waking up. Walker remains unconscious for the time being.Inspector Howard Link-Or, Lvellie happens and Allen briefly goes comatose, then comes back as not-Allen. Minor spoiler: it's not Red.
Relationships: Allen Walker & Everyone, Kanda Yuu & Lavi & Lenalee Lee, Nea D. Campbell & Everyone, Past Allen & Everyone, Past Allen & Nea D. Campbell
Comments: 23
Kudos: 116





	1. "Sorry, I'm not Allen."

“I’m so sorry, Allen.”

  
  


And with that whisper of an apology, the syringe plunged into the side of the younger’s neck.

  
  


“K-Komui…”

  
  


The scientist in question could only watch helplessly as Allen Walker - one of the Black Order’s most vital Exorcists, the prophesied Destroyer of Time, host of the traitor Noah, a cherished member of the European Branch’s little family - writhed in agony on the ground.

  
  


As impatient as ever, Lvellie stepped forwards. His voice, like always, was brash and carried its expectant undertone. “Is the potion working?”

  
  


It took every fibre in Komui’s body to suppress a whimper when the (approximately) 15-year-old let out another agonising scream. For once, he thanked God. He thanked God that everyone - Exorcists, Finders and scientists - were occupied with filling their stomachs and readying themselves for the hours of work to come. That way, there was little to no chance anyone would swing by Komui’s office and see what he was _doing_ to Allen.

  
  


“The Rejuvenation Potion 2.0, which causes the consumer to revert both physically and mentally to their childhood years, should take its effects within a minute of consumption.”

  
  


The Special Inspector merely emitted a simple ‘hm’ of (distracted) acknowledgement as he eagerly watched the thrashing body, dark eyes gleaming with excitement. Hidden in a shadowed corner of Komui’s office, Link brought a gloved hand up to cover the lower half of his darkening face. 

  
  


In the time spent monitoring Walker’s activities, he, too, unraveled the dangerous threat known as ‘Allen Walker’ and got to see the ‘Allen’ everyone at the Black Order saw - the younger, kind, gentlemanly, self-sacrificing child that Link suspected had seen too much for someone that age. Link knew it wasn’t right; he couldn’t help but become attached to the white-haired boy. He considered Allen, dare he say, a _friend_.

  
  


Allen felt - _very thoroughly_ \- the last of the syringe’s contents spread through his body. It started in pulses, with each one bringing a wave of excruciating pain and nausea over him. The feeling was something akin to that of Cosimov’s beatings multiplied by the hundreds and inflicting his entire being - body, mind, and soul. It was strange. Amidst the torment, Allen could feel some sort of familiarity when a sudden warmth - _arms_ , he felt - enveloped his very being and, without warning, hastily tugged him out of the front of his mind before everything went pitch black.

  
  


“He passed out,” Lvellie said pointedly, dark eyes accusing as he turned them to the scientist.

  
  


Komui bit back a scoff. _‘No shit, Sherlock.’_ he thought. The Special Inspector was one of the few people that could easily tick the Chinese off. 

  
  


Although extremely worried for the younger’s well-being, he was slightly glad his concoction didn’t seem to work. Sure, passing out was one thing, but turning back into a child - Komui, along with many of Allen’s closest friends had suspected Allen’s childhood wasn’t exactly the happiest out there - was an entirely different story.

  
  


“It _should_ take effect within a minute of consumption.” the scientist repeated, almost mockingly.

  
  


Unknown to Lvellie, like many things, Link held back a cheeky smile. He didn’t get along with those from the Order at the start - not like an Inspector from Central would ever want to - but he genuinely began to like it there.

  
  


Lvellie scowled at the reply. “Inspector Link, bring Allen Walker to his room,” he turned on his heel, facing the office door, “continue to observe his behaviour. When the potion takes effect, you are to remain by Walker’s side at all times.”

  
  


_‘The choice of wording makes it sound like Lvellie has something to attend to, therefore being unable to see younger Allen in person.’_ Komui narrowed his eyes at the Special Inspector’s broad back.

  
  


Link marched across the room, carefully avoiding several piles of wrinkled papers, stopping next to Walker’s unconscious figure. “Director, I would like to enquire if you have matters to attend to after this...”

  
  


Pausing just within arm’s reach from the door, Lvellie tilted his head back. “I am to return to Central in an hour, Inspector Link.”

  
  


“And will you, by any chance, come back here?” Komui’s voice echoed through his mess of an office. He made sure to keep any hints of hope out of his question; Komui was desperately hoping the Special Inspector wasn’t going to step foot in his branch any time soon. Wherever Lvellie went, calamity followed closely behind.

  
  


A sly grin stretched across Lvellie’s face. 

  
  


“Unfortunately, I will not be returning to the European Branch, Chief Lee.”

  
  


He turned back to the office door, pushing a hand down on the golden door handle. _‘Thank goodness.’_ Komui let out a silent breath of relief, while Link studied his unconscious charge with a softened, concerned gaze. It suddenly became much easier to breathe, as if an invisible force had been cloaked around them before.

  
  


Then, as quickly as the chilling atmosphere left, it came back the moment Lvellie’s voice pierced through the comforting silence. 

  
  


“What a pity; I was hoping to have a chat with Walker.”

  
  


Komui flinched. Link stilled.

  
  


And that was the last time anyone at Headquarters saw the cut-throat, living embodiment of immorality walk out their doors that month.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Brother, can we- can we talk to you for a minute?”

  
  


Lenalee looked up at her sibling with ‘those beautiful black beads of hers’, panting slightly. She had chased after Komui as he juggled a small batch of potions - all of which no one from the Science Division had never seen - while practically sprinting down the hall.

  
  


He fumbled with the glass bottles. “Ah- Lenalee! Did you need anything?”

  
  


“We would like- no, we _need_ to talk to you.”

  
  


Her voice was urgent and panicked. Komui’s eyes widened for a split second. He sincerely hoped that Lenalee didn’t see the flash of surprise and thinly veiled horror on his face. He never wore the expression well; even a glimpse of it would spark suspicion within the younger sibling.

  
  


Clearing his throat, he smiled calmly. “Of course. But ‘we’?”

  
  


“Me, Kanda, Lavi, Marie, Miranda and Krory.”

  
  


_‘Why would they want to talk to me in such a large group?’_ he thought. Usually, they visited him individually or in pairs or trios, but never as a crowd. It was like they were confronting him about something.

  
  


It was like he had an audience watching him confe-

  
  


“Oh,” He glanced down at his arms, “just let me put these down first.”

  
  


“I’ll help you, brother.” Lenalee grinned - _‘what a blessed sight~’_ \- and moved closer to snag a couple of potions from her elder.

  
  


As she was transferring the potions, she noticed how the glass vials were missing their usual labels that indicated its content’s uses and effects. If her memory did her justice, unlabeled experiments of any sort either belonged to her brother or a handful of scientists entrusted by said brother. It usually happened whenever there were underhanded requests for the Order regarding the sciences. And all the recent events of unlabeled experiments, Lenalee knew, were none other than Lvellie’s far-fetched demands.

  
  


_‘This might have something to do with Allen’s disappearance at breakfast this morning.’_ Lenalee contemplated, observing her brother’s mannerisms out of the corner of her eye as they walked down the halls, side-by-side.

  
  


“Why-”

  
  


“Yes, Lenalee?”

  
  


She bit her lip. He was way too jittery. “Why did Link-”

  
  


“C-Chief Komui!” A voice cut her off. She, along with Komui, turned to the direction it came from.

  
  


The Finder ran up to the duo, his face painted with urgency. “I’m- I’m very sorry to disturb you, Chief Komui, but Inspector Link asked for you.”

  
  


At the mention, Lenalee stilled. _‘Link? Link’s with Allen.’_

  
  


“It’s an emergency,” he added.

  
  


_‘What!?’_

  
  


But before she could do anything, Komui swiftly dumped his share of the potions in her arms. His voice was gentle, yet authoritative and had some sort of nervousness and fear only Lenalee could hear. “Lenalee, take these to the storeroom for me, will you?”

  
  


A vial slipped out of her grip. She rushed forwards to catch it. _‘That- That would’ve been very bad if it fell and broke.’_

  
  


“Of course-”

  
  


When she looked up once more, all she could see was the Finder’s and Komui’s retreating backs. She took a few hurried steps towards them, but the two were dashing down the halls. She couldn’t run after them; it would risk breaking all the vials of unknown liquids.

  
  


Blinking back frustrated tears, she twirled around and stomped off to the storeroom.

  
  


Whatever it was that Allen was dragged into, Lenalee was determined to help him.

  
  


_‘I hope I’m not too late…’_

  
  


Then again, everything was happening too quickly for her to do anything.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Link was beginning to… _not like_ Lvellie.

  
  


It didn’t mean he disliked Lvellie, no - Link could never bring himself to dislike the Special Inspector. But seeing the elder do such vile and horrid things to a child caused something to snap within him.

  
  


Allen Walker was a fine young man, he admitted. Walker performed his duties with the utmost dedication and diligence. Okay, maybe not the latter; the boy had come close to death too many times for Link’s comfort. Walker was fascinating, with his whole “the left for Akuma, the right for humans” thing - he seemed to live by that motto, along with another to do with his last name. Allen was kind, offering a helping hand to those that need it. It didn’t matter if his body and emotions got damaged; in fact, Link had observed, his own well-being was probably the least of Allen’s worries. Allen was loved by pretty much everyone at Headquarters. Even the fierce, snarky Kanda Yuu took a liking to him. Allen, who seemed to put up an act every time he thought he wasn’t alone, was a friend - and a great one at that. 

  
  


Allen Walker was human; more so than Link was, at least, and possibly ten-fold of Lvellie.

  
  


“Walker…” he trailed off, unsure whether or not the boy was gaining consciousness.

  
  


Link took a hesitant glance at Allen’s bed, eyeing the empty spot next to the body. Minutes of contemplative silence later, Link plopped down on the edge of the bed. _‘The potion - the Rejuvenation Potion 2.0 - causes the consumer to revert both physically and mentally to their childhood years.’_ He recalled Chief Lee’s explanation back at his office.

  
  


He pulled out his worn-out notebook and began jotting things down. Link needed to clear his thoughts. While they were still on the streets in Germany, Madarao taught him to write, and Tokusa told him how writing things down was a great way to clear one’s thoughts.

  
  


> _9:42, 2 November 1886_
> 
> _I suspect that Allen Walker was abused as a child. He flinches - although unseen by many - at any form of physical contact, whether it be known beforehand or by surprise; it is usually more distinct when he is caught by surprise. Additionally, the Medical Section has discovered that many of Walker’s bones - especially his ribs - had once fractured and never healed properly after that. I have observed his movements; they are refined, graceful, and awkward at certain times. Most of his mannerisms and habits belong to someone that lives on the streets. For example, Walker tends to be more cautious when he has his food, he moves soundlessly (I have raised questions about it, and concluded that he does it unconsciously), and as previously mentioned, he stiffens or flinches at physical contact._

  
  


Taking in a deep, calming breath, he moved onto the next part- the part about what Lvellie had done to Allen. Link had to choose his wording _very_ carefully.

  
  


> _At present, Walker’s status remains unknown. Chief Officer and Branch Head Komui Lee created a potion - the Rejuvenating Potion 2.0, which causes the consumer to revert both physically and mentally to their childhood years - under Director Lvellie’s request. This way, we will be able to study Walker’s person and investigate any possible connections he had with the Fourteenth Noah in the past. After being injected with the liquids, Walker was rendered unconscious for unknown reasons. Ever since then, he had not made any signs of waking up. Walker remains unconscious for the time being._
> 
> _Inspector Howard Link_

  
  


Link reread his entry, running over it for any errors or misspellings. At the very bottom, he pens a neat _I hope he awakens soon_. Beside him, Walker grunts. Oh. He hovers his pen over the words for a few moments, glancing over at the now-shifting-but-sleeping figure.

  
  


> ~~_I hope he awakens soon._~~

  
  


“Walker, can you hear me?”

  
  


A moan of pain erupts from the younger’s mouth. Link froze when the boy began twisting and mumbling a string of incoherent words. _‘What is happening to Walker? Is the potion-’_

  
  


Casting one last worrying glance at the boy, Link dashes out of the room in search of someone. He couldn’t go too far away - technically, he was already disobeying Lvellie’s crystal clear orders - in fear of something bad happening to Allen.

  
  


When Link spots a blur of tan, he makes a beeline straight for the lone figure. He clamped a calloused hand on the Finder’s shoulder, startling the latter. “Excuse me, but could you get Chief Lee for me?”

  
  


The Finder blinked. “Oh- yes, of course, Inspector Link.”

  
  


“Thank you.”

  
  


Before they went their separate ways, the Finder made a shout in Link’s direction. “Is it an emergency, sir?”

  
  


Link stopped momentarily, blonde braid swinging like a pendulum, “yes. Tell the Chief that it’s an emergency.”

  
  


In his panic, Link hadn’t noticed the small group of people crowded at the very end of the hall. It was so unlike Link, but then again - the CROW hadn’t been feeling like himself as of late.

  
  


“Link.”

  
  


“Kanda Yuu, how may I help you?”

  
  


The Japanese grumbled under his breath. Link wondered what had gotten the Exorcist in such a foul mood. Then again, was Kanda ever _not_ in a bad mood? The blond was sure it was either ‘never’ or ‘zero times’.

  
  


“How’s the Moyashi?”

  
  


Link took one glance at the figures behind Kanda; it was all the Inspector needed to do to assess the situation. Bookman Junior, Miranda Lotto, Arystar Krory, and Noise Marie. The Bookman apprentice was snickering, Link noted. The remaining three were anxious, worried, and slightly amused, respectively.

  
  


“Walker is doing fine.” the lie easily left Link’s tongue.

  
  


_‘Didn’t the Baka Usagi say something was wrong with the Moyashi? There’s something not right going on here...’_

  
  


Kanda whipped his head around to glare at Bookman Junior. In a flash, his hand jerked onto Mugen’s hilt, ready to unsheathe the sword at any second. Unseen by the Inspector, Kanda’s gaze was alarmed, calling for backup.

  
  


“Oi, Baka Usagi, you said-”

  
  


The redhead lunged forwards, cupping a hand over Kanda’s mouth. He gave a nervous chuckle, “aw, Yuu, don’t be so grumpy! It doesn’t matter if you lost at a game of rock-paper-scissors.”

  
  


_‘That was close. God damnit, Yuu!’_

  
  


The CROW raised a suspicious brow. “If that is all, I will be taking my leave now.”

  
  


The group seemed to sulk at his words. They shared disappointed glances as if they were expecting him to revoke his previous statement - to say that their dear friend was, in fact, _not_ doing fine. As Link turned to rush back to Allen’s side, the Bookman apprentice chirped, “tell Allen we said ‘Hi!’”

  
  


He made a brief nod. He’d do that when Walker returned as the boy they knew.

  
  


“I will make sure to pass on your message.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Link swung the bedroom door open, the first thing he noticed was the groaning, unfamiliar messy tuft of copper-red of a child that held a strangely close resemblance to-

  
  


“Walker!”

  
  


Link leapt forward. He worked swiftly to untangle the now-even-smaller body from Walker’s spotless bedsheets and casual attire - which many have said was the farthest thing from ‘casual’. With the numerous layers tugged off of the child, Link could see the full extent of the injuries he had suspected to be on Walker’s younger self, not to mention the protruding ribcage on the kid. Link straightened his posture, chocolate-brown eyes quickly scanning over the child once more.

  
  


If Link had seen the child anywhere but the Order, he would’ve never guessed that it was Allen. Gone was the head of feathery white, along with the series of light, faded scars and bruises that had peppered the older Allen’s pale skin. The younger version had so much more colour and was, dare he say, _full of life_. Of course, the pasty canvas remained the same, with the younger’s splattered with different shades of red - from the locks to bruises - and the older’s clean and pristine - untouched and pure.

  
  


The child violently jerked when Link stepped towards the bed, causing the wooden floor beneath to creak.

  
  


“Walker?” Link’s voice was smooth and gentle.

  
  


The boy flinched.

  
  


“Allen?”

  
  


As strange as it felt and sounded coming from Link’s mouth, he decided it were better to toss aside the formalities. He knew from experience; those who lived on the streets - especially the younger - absolutely hated decorum and respect. 

  
  


Grey eyes fluttered open. The boy’s gaze travelled across the ceiling and walls before settling on Link’s frozen form.

  
  


Link gulped, visibly nervous. He tugged at the corners of his lips, “how are you feeling, Allen?”

  
  


The boy blinked. Where was he? What time was it? Something inside him knew it was too soon to be awake, so what had happened?

  
  


Link paled when he saw the look of confusion on the younger’s face. Allen...understood English, right? The CROW’s memory would never fail him - he knew for a fact that Allen Walker was an out-and-out British.

  
  


He opened his mouth to repeat the question, but a knock at the door startled both males in the room. Komui.

  
  


“Come in,” Link called out, eyes unmoving from the redhead’s stare.

  
  


Just out of his line of sight, Link saw a blur of white enter the room. The scientist’s sharp intake of breath was the only thing he could hear. “Chief Lee.”

  
  


Collecting himself, Komui politely returned the greeting. “Link,” he took a deep breath, “how’s Allen doing?”

  
  


The child’s eyes shifted to Komui’s. He bristled when their gazes connected; he couldn’t recognize those cold, hardened orbs of steel. Or the child, for that matter. The younger version of Allen was so different. The kid’s aura, for one thing, was completely unlike Allen. Not to say it was hostile or anything, no, it was just so...unfamiliar and bone-chilling. The next thing was the state the boy was in - no doubt both physically and mentally. Komui fought back tears as he held a staring contest with mini-Allen.

  
  


The German shifted his weight. “Walker has not replied or indicated any understanding of the English language so far.”

  
  


“Isn’t he British?” Komui asked, slightly confused, as he walked over to Link’s side. “Well, he seems to be very capable at staring contests…”

  
  


The joke caused the atmosphere to warm up a bit; leave it to Komui Lee to brighten everyone’s moods, in one way or another. Link sent a silent thanks to the Chief when he saw the child’s lips twitch into a small, amused smile.

  
  


“No, I’m not, actually.”

  
  


Both Link and Komui blinked. So younger Allen understood English, yes, that was good, and he had a remarkably distinct accent that needed multiple processings before either man could interpret, which wasn’t the best. Present time Allen was well-known for his gentlemanly demeanour - or act, as Cross would put it - which, of course, included his posh English lilt. His close friends, though, would know of his minor slip-ups from time to time, with his usual _clean_ pronunciations becoming slightly rougher and clipped. Sometimes, the white-haired Exorcist would forget certain words in favour of an entirely different one - ‘rhyming slang’, he called it.

  
  


Lavi had never let him live down the time he called the stairs ‘apples’.

  
  


_‘Wait,’_ Link furrowed his brows, _‘it’s not that...English. Northern, perhaps? Maybe some Scottish influence?’_

  
  


Komui, seeing the other man having some trouble with thinking, recovered and sent a cheery smile younger Allen’s way. “Not- Not what? Good at staring contests?”

  
  


Reddish locks swayed as the boy shook his head. “No. I’m plenty good at staring contests - Neah could never beat me - but I’m not British.” But before Komui or Link could say anything, he continued, “well, I assume youse were talking about ‘me’, at least. It’d be embarrassing if youse weren’t, though.”

  
  


“What?”

  
  


He threw his legs over the side of the bed. “...what time is it?”

  
  


Snapping out of his stupor, Link took a quick glance at the clock face. “11:30 in the morning.”

  
  


“Thank you, but I meant the date. Date, month, and most importantly, _year_.”

  
  


“2 November 1886.” The CROW replied. “Allen, how are you feeling?”

  
  


1886? That was a good four years early. Confused, the boy glanced down, ready to hop off the bed. Wait- A _kid’s_ body? The last time he had checked, the body should’ve been about 15 or 16. What the hell?

  
  


He intentionally ignored the query. “What happened?”

  
  


Both men looked at each other, alarmed. Something wasn’t right; this Allen didn’t act...whatever age he was. He was calm - too calm. _‘Very mature in a sense,’_ Komui observed the boy’s mannerisms, _‘doesn’t exactly act like a child.’_

  
  


“Allen, before we explain everything, we need to know: how are you feeling?” Then, the scientist winced. The question was too open-ended. He changed tactics. “What was the last thing you remember doing?”

  
  


“Sleeping.” Came the short reply.

  
  


“Okay,” if Komui was frustrated, he didn’t let it show. “Where?”

  
  


“Where?” The boy repeated.

  
  


Link wordlessly watched the two interact with a keen eye. The Chief was doing a good enough job; there was no need for the Inspector to intervene or jump in.

  
  


Komui saw the look the blond was giving him. Safe to say, he was in no way planning to fuck it up. Link’s piercing gaze was something Komui never wanted to experience again.

  
  


He bristled. “Yes, Allen. Where did you fall asleep?”

  
  


Steel eyes blinked multiple times.

  
  


“Uh,” not-Allen struggled to find the words, eyes dancing across the floor as if the words were on the wooden planks, “the- the forest? It wasn’t exactly a forest, though. Only looked like one.”

  
  


He looked Komui dead in the eye. Neither man liked the look in those grey eyes of his. “Also…”

  
  


“Sorry, I’m not Allen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that was the first chapter!! geez, it was terrifying posting this. hope you guys enjoyed it :D
> 
> i have no plans to abandon this fic, but i honestly have no clue how much time will be in-between each update - hence the 'sporadic updates' tag.
> 
> if it was bad, please go ahead and review- but please don't bash me.


	2. A Bundle of Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mission: capture Link.
> 
> Mission crew:  
> \- 2 arguing idiotic bros  
> \- 1 amused, responsible sister  
> \- 1 overworked goldilocks
> 
> Mission supplies:  
> \- 2 jackets  
> \- 1 bowl of gruel  
> \- 5 fruit tarts

“Sorry, I’m not Allen.”

  
  


Komui’s breath hitched. He had already crossed off ‘younger Allen’ and ‘amnesiac Allen’ from his imaginary list, and those two were the only things he had listed. Suddenly, Komui had the feeling that whatever was happening was much bigger and much worse than a case of ‘faulty potion’.

  
  


In all honesty, the scientist wasn’t sure if the potion was going to work. He had hoped a half-assed concoction - of course, Komui had kept an eye on whatever was going into it - wouldn’t display its effects. He planned to play it off as an ‘oh, well I guess it doesn’t work on Allen since his Innocence is parasitic’ kind of bullshit reasoning if Lvellie asked about it.

  
  


He rubbed his neck in an attempt to ease his nerves, hooded eyes meeting Link’s stern brown ones. “Well, then,” uttered Komui. Not-Allen perked up. “What’s your name?”

  
  


The ‘child’ had a hesitant look in their eyes.

  
  


“...youse first, if that’s alright.”

  
  


_‘At least he’s a gentleman.’_ the scientist relaxed. He was afraid that not-Allen was going to be a handful - violent and uncontrollable. In other words, your average whatever-age-he-was-years-old.

  
  


“That’s fine- I’m Komui Lee, but you can call me Komui!”

  
  


“Link.” the CROW supplied.

  
  


Ewan hummed lightly. They didn’t find either name familiar; it was no big surprise. They had woken up in a foreign place, with two intimidating - well, one had this aura that screamed ‘Not only do I have hidden weapons, I also happen to have a set of very ordinary skills and I’m not afraid to use either one’ and the other just freaked Ewan out - figures towering over them. If blondie over there - _‘Goldilocks?’_ \- hadn’t called out the host’s name, Ewan would've attacked the moment they saw fit.

  
  


A tendril of cold air slithered under their makeshift blanket. The formerly 24-year-old shivered under the silken dress shirt that had been covering Allen’s body when they’d woken up. _‘Geez, it’s baltic in here.’_

  
  


Ewan wrapped themself with the cool soft material. Allen’s scent engulfed them. It was a scent they knew all-too-well; an image of the Scottish countryside with four blithe, idiotic teens dancing along with the never-ending fields of swaying gold. Home - _Allen smelled like home_.

  
  


Ewan’s heart ached.

  
  


_“Neah, give them back!”_

  
  


_Rich, melodic laughter chimed from the bent-over figure swimming in the waves of yellow-gold wheat. Ewan pouted, naked moonlit eyes pleading. A particularly strong breeze happened to pass by at that very moment, causing the older’s flowing reddish sepia locks - along with a collection of stray autumn leaves and such - to dance with the unseen force of nature_.

  
  


_The golden-eyed thief snickered at the sight of Ewan’s hair flying about; it only amplified their **adorable** , seething anger. “Okay.”_

  
  


_Ewan almost let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, no. It was Neah - the sleekit bastard would never give up so easily_.

  
  


_“If you can reach it, that is.”_

  
  


_“Haha, **very funny** , Neah.”_

  
  


_Then, out of nowhere, Ewan lunged forwards, letting out a terrible imitation of a battle cry. “Give me glasses back, y’ 2-metre-tall dobber!”_

  
  


_The taller of the two squealed in surprise. “Argh, no- you’ve gotta get it yourself!” His arm shot up, dangling Ewan’s precious spectacles far above their head in a playful, teasing manner. He smirked when he saw the betrayal in their eyes_.

  
  


_“Neah, I swear; I’ll call for backup.”_

  
  


_“Backup- as in Mana?”_

  
  


_“No shit- he’s the only one here tall enough to reach **that**!”_

  
  


_“That’s because you and ∗∗∗∗ are midgets!”_

  
  


...who?

  
  


“Who?”

  
  


Silence. A flicker of light.

  
  


“Neah?”

  
  


In the blink of an eye, the memory shattered, each mirror fragment falling into the inevitable void below. Gone were the wheat fields. Gone was Neah. Gone was home.

  
  


Gone, gone, gone - it was all gone.

  
  


The pitch-black front curtains rose, revealing a stage adorned with tall, naked white trees along the sides. In the middle of it all, a throne stood, proud and spreading out its ethereal wings, towering over the absent theatre. Chains of gold, lustrous and chunky, laid across the setting as if someone had dragged it along with them as they were leaving the stage.

  
  


Ewan knew this scenery. This monochrome forest. The throne, the chains.

  
  


But it was incomplete. The theatre was missing its performer. Or had Ewan just missed the performance? Had it ended?

  
  


They felt a sting, accompanied by tiny, silvery stars descending upon the theatre.

  
  


Snow? Did it snow here?

  
  


Why can’t I remember?

  
  


**A gruff voice. “Who are you?”**

  
  


~~“You know me, Master. Please stop pretending I'm some random ghost.”~~

  
  


**“No, not you, Allen.”**

  
  


**An abrupt pause. The smell of cigarettes.**

  
  


**“Fuck, wait- shit, now I’m hallucinating and imagining your snotty little voice, brat. You should be grateful or something. God, I need another drink.”**

  
  


_“-but Allen’s a crackin’ name, isn’t it-?”_

  
  


_“Yeah, it is, ∗∗∗∗.” A tear._

  
  


_The sound of wet coughs._

  
  


_“Ah- don’t fash yerself, Ewan’s a nice name too!” A blood-stained grin._

  
  


**“Whatever. Will you just- can you just answer my question? Look, I’ve had a shitty day. Come on, have some sympathy for poor me.” A glass bottle slammed on the table.**

  
  


“Ewan. My name is Ewan.”

  
  


**“...so you _were_ going to come to me in the end, huh, dipshit.” Wine swishing. “You and Neah sent me on a fucking wild goose chase for - what - close to thirty years?”**

  
  


Komui beamed at them, patting himself on the back. _‘Go, me. I’m an expert when it comes to adorable children - especially my dear Lenalee!’_

  
  


“Ewan?” Komui tested. “I’d have to say, Ewan’s a nice name-”

  
  


_“-Ewan’s a nice name-!”_

  
  


“-and it’s very nice to meet you.”

  
  


Ewan stared straight ahead, willing their mind to pick up the pace. Who’d that been? One voice, they knew, had been Marian’s. The other? Ewan didn’t know. _‘My memories are a mess. Stars, is this what happens when I take a 5-year nap?’_

  
  


“Indeed.” Link butted in, voice sharp. “We’re getting off-topic. We’ll explain everything once you tell us about this ‘forest’ you were in.”

  
  


_‘Forest? What forest?’_ the redhead looked to the side, “sorry, I got a wee bit confused. It was a dream.” - a memory of sorts. It was the performance. But this version was uncharted territory.

  
  


_‘...uhuh,’_ the Inspector’s eyes narrowed. Everything about this whole de-ageing scenario was peculiar. Allen Walker had vanished. And in his place, was this ‘Ewan’ who didn’t appear to be the younger version of Allen.

  
  


“No need to hurry,” then came, “don’t worry, I know you’re hiding something.”

  
  


Komui gave the CROW the side-eye. Sure, he’d noticed Ewan’s tight-lipped behaviour too, but to simply point it out? Talk about hitting the elephant in the room head-on.

  
  


Ewan wavered, unconsciously biting on their lip. Could they trust them? Allen trusted them. But they weren’t the same person, no; Ewan, compared to Allen, was much more careful when it came to trusting people. But then again, the almighty Cross Marian had practically raised the younger.

  
  


Nevermind, there was no point in covering it up.

  
  


“Yep,” they said, popping the ‘p’.

  
  


Seeing Komui’s expression falter, they quickly added, “no offence, but - well, to put it simply - I don’t trust youse. Ah- I’m on youse’s side, though.”

  
  


“Understandable.” the Inspector retorted cooly. “What are you willing to share with us, then?”

  
  


Ewan fell silent.

  
  


They weighed their options. To tell or not to tell - both weren’t the best choices. Either way, Ewan wouldn’t be able to do anything by themself.

  
  


Neah was God knows where; the Noah hadn’t made his presence known ever since they came to reality. They didn’t know where Allen and the others were either - _‘what are their names again?’_. Ewan hadn’t had the chance to delve deeper into their inner world to search for them. They made a note to do that later on.

  
  


And Marian- where in God’s name was that divvy? They hadn’t seen the General since the beginning of Allen’s first year of training with him; after the...bonding.

  
  


They decided to take a gamble; Marian and Neah loved doing that.

  
  


“Something’s wrong,” Ewan told them, voice as even as ever, “somethin’ is well wrong.” _‘My memories are a wreck and everyone’s missing and...what’s the other thing again-?’_

  
  


A low rumble erupted from Ewan’s direction.

  
  


“And I’m hungry.”

  
  


Link deadpanned, unamused, “figures.”

  
  


“Sorry…”

  
  


“W-Well, we can’t exactly bring you to the cafeteria,” Komui cut in, shining a smile at the blond beside him. “Link’ll go grab some food for you.”

  
  


Ewan cocked their head slightly to the side. “Cafeteria? Speaking of which, where am I?”

  
  


Oops. The thought had slipped past both men’s minds. They were so preoccupied with figuring out who not-Allen was. A blunder on their part, Komui grimaced. Link’s suspicion grew; how did Ewan remain so calm? Of course, the stranger had their doubts, but they hadn’t lashed out or panicked even the slightest bit - unless they had exceptional acting skills (like a certain white-haired, 15-year-old Exorcist.)

  
  


“The Black Order,” answered Link. Then, he faced the Chief, “I’ll get some clothes for him while I’m at it.”

  
  


Ewan cringed. “Them.” they corrected softly, dropping their gaze to Allen’s small, wounded hands.

  
  


“Them?” the blond echoed, eyes swimming with confusion.

  
  


_Clench. Unclench._ “I go by singular they/them pronouns, masculine titles and all that...”

  
  


“My apologies,” Link said after a few moments, bowing his head slightly. “I’ll get some clothes for them while I’m at it.”

  
  


Ewan smiled. Maybe they could trust them too.

  
  


* * *

  
  


11:50.

  
  


Link had 10 minutes to collect everything; noon sharp was when people would begin funnelling into the halls leading to the cafeteria. There was no way he was going in there when it was crowded - he’d get bombarded with questions on why he’d dragged Walker out of breakfast earlier that day. 

  
  


As for the clothing situation, Link didn’t exactly have a ‘time limit’ on retrieving them, but he preferred to stay out of sight in case of any untimely encounters with _certain people_.

  
  


The CROW’s steps were graceful, practised and hurried - they seemed to lean towards the ‘lunges’ side. He rounded the corner, thinking all was good until he heard it.

  
  


“-find him, ya’ know, Yuu?”

  
  


Shit.

  
  


“Don’t call me that!”

  
  


“Okay, you two, calm down. So we’re checking the cafeteria, then my brother’s office, and Allen’s room, right?”

  
  


A scoff. “We’re literally walking to the cafeteria at this very moment. You didn’t need to-”

  
  


Several yelps from two people, one higher and one lower-pitched. “Quiet down, you two! What if someone catches us sneaking into the cafeteria early?”

  
  


Double shit.

  
  


“Oh, _God_. Everyone would go for lunch earlier. That means less of Jeryy’s special fruit tart for us-!”

  
  


“No- well, yes, but we can’t let anyone know we’re snooping around.”

  
  


_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

  
  


They were coming from behind. Link was ahead of them. If they turned the corner, though, they’d be able to see him walking down the halls.

  
  


Plan A: hide in one of the rooms along the hall until they left. He scrapped it almost immediately. Too risky. Plus, it would’ve taken a considerable amount of time to pick the locks, even with his skills. 

  
  


Plan B: get to the cafeteria, hide in the kitchen, and ask Jeryy to keep his lips sealed. Jeryy wasn’t the type to mess around when it came to serious business. A more viable plan of action. Not the best, but better than Plan A.

  
  


Plan C: knock them ou-

  
  


_Tap. Tap. Tap._

  
  


_**Taptaptaptaptap-** _

  
  


Plan B it was.

  
  


Link broke into a sprint.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Alrighty, Ewan, I’ll explain what the Black Order is while Link’s grabbing some things for you, okay?” Komui proposed once the Inspector had slipped out of Allen’s room. His gaze lingered on the door for a second or two, _‘I hope he’ll be fine. Lenalee and the others have caught onto whatever’s happening; it’s only a matter of time until they find out what it is.’_

  
  


“Along with what happened,” they reminded.

  
  


The older nodded in fake enthusiasm - he was hoping that Ewan had forgotten about it, but it turned out they was smarter and more well aware than he’d expected. Komui cleared his throat, preparing himself for his well-practised monologue.

  
  


Well, ‘well-practised’ when it was the original version; Komui had to give Ewan the heavily edited version.

  
  


“We, the Black Order, are essentially a group of individuals that- uh, we fight against evil spirits across the world. We may be under the Vatican, but not all of our members are religious. In the end, the Black Order’s main job is fighting A- evil spirits. We also collect In- c-crystals before the, um, evil spirits get to them first.”

  
  


“Akuma.”

  
  


Komui, unfazed, bobbed his head. _‘Yes, yes, Akuma.’_ he groaned, thinking of all of the Exorcists on missions and the overdue paperwork scattered all over his office.

  
  


_‘Wait-’_ he did a double-take, _‘how-’_

  
  


Ewan smiled smugly, “you guys fight the Millennium Earl, I’m guessing.”

  
  


_‘Yup, Marian was right; without the Akuma and Innocence bit, the Black Order really sounds like some sort of cult…well, it basically is one.’_

  
  


“Who _are_ you?” Komui asked, dumbfounded.

  
  


They snickered, letting themself fall back onto the mattress with a soft ‘poof’. “Okay, I get the gist of it.” they sighed weakly, efficiently brushing off the Chief’s question and cutting the conversation short.

  
  


“So,” Ewan started, “what happened to my dear Allen before I, uh, ‘woke up’?”

  
  


Komui sulked, noticing the other’s smooth transitioning from one subject to another. “How much do you know? About Allen’s _situation_?”

  
  


“Enough, if not all.”

  
  


Komui balanced himself on the bedside table, one arm supporting his towering figure as he looked down at Allen’s younger body. Sighing, he spilt the beans, “there are some people - not pointing any fingers here - from Central who suspect that Allen is in cahoots with the 14th. They decided to investigate Allen’s younger self, seeing how children are typically more open and out-going.”

  
  


Ewan cocked a gingery brow as they sat back up. In an incredulous tone, they summarised, “so they thought that turning him into a kid was a _fantastic_ idea?”

  
  


“Precisely.”

  
  


“How nice of them,” they mused sarcastically, lips drawing into a thin line. “Ugh, where’s Marian?”

  
  


It clicked. _‘Ah, so that’s why Ewan knows about the Black Order and the Earl...’_

  
  


“We don’t know; Cross vanished after the Ark incident.”

  
  


“Does he know anything about this de-ageing thing?”

  
  


“I don’t think so?”

  
  


A beat.

  
  


“Blast.”

  
  


Eyebrows knitted, Komui wracked his brain for reasons as to why Cross Marian would be- _‘of course Cross is also part of all of this. Ewan knows him, but how? What role does Cross play in this story?’_ “What’s wrong?”

  
  


“Things have gone pure wrong.” Ewan paused, taking a deep, calming breath, before continuing, “I believe that our plan - if you will - is in ruins thanks to _some people_ -”

  
  


_‘What ‘plan’?’_ Komui winced, “sorry?”

  
  


“-and I’ll need Marian here to fix it.” they finished grimly. 

  
  


The Branch Chief let his gaze drop, feeling guilty. He pushed himself off the bedside table, then tucked his chapped hands into his coat’s pockets. “You’re not Allen, right? Then who are you?”

  
  


**“Who are you?”**

  
  


“I thought we were way past that,” Ewan mumbled under their breath, “no, my name is Ewan. I’m a close friend of Allen’s.”

  
  


“How vague.”

  
  


“I _did_ answer your question, did I not?”

  
  


Komui sighed. “I understand the, uh, secrecy and all but-” he bristled at the other’s intense stare. “Will you tell us who you are, at the very least?”

  
  


“I’m Ewan.”

  
  


“You know what I mean,” accused Komui, huffing before gesturing wildly at Ewan - Allen’s? - person, “you’re not a child. You’re intelligent and mature; not very childlike.”

  
  


“I guess I’m just a very mature one, aren’t I?” Ewan mocked innocently, giving the older a shit-eating grin.

  
  


“Please, Ewan, this is for the better of both parties. We can work together. Link finds you very suspicious; it’ll be easier for us to fix this if you told us a bit about yourself. Trust, you know? I have a feeling we’ll have other people, like Allen’s close friends, joining us too.”

  
  


Unfortunately for the scientist, persuasion didn’t work on them. They hadn’t spent all those years with the Campbells for nothing - Neah and Mana were little shits that deserved the world, Ewan couldn’t help but think. Though the twins had managed to coerce Ewan into doing things for them, the redhead had slowly developed immunity to others’ requests and whatnot. A gift, Marian had teased in a gruff drawl the morning after their reunion.

  
  


“But-” they pouted, “that’ll ruin the fun.”

  
  


“Statement revoked; you’re a child.”

  
  


Ewan just smiled. Tactic: confuse the fuck out of them.

  
  


If the Order was going to be adamant about knowing Ewan’s identity, they was planning to evade having to reveal it - indirectly, not ever agreeing nor disagreeing or stating anything. Ewan had to wait until Marian popped out of nowhere; there was no telling if Komui (who Ewan took a liking to) would, or had the ability to protect from some people from Central.

  
  


Better safe than sorry, right?

  
  


“Hmpf.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Oh! Good morning, Link, you’re early. Food for you and Allen, I’m guessing? It is lunch soon.” greeted Jeryy when he noticed Link’s slouched figure at the counter.

  
  


The man in question collected himself. In the blink of an eye, he placed a palm on the smooth surface and hopped over the counter, into the kitchen. Jeryy yelped in surprise, almost dropping the bowl of mixed fruit.

  
  


“Wha-?”

  
  


“Hush,” Link held up a hand, stopping the cook from saying any further, “don’t let them know I’m here.”

  
  


Jeryy eyed the Inspector for a split second, before humming in agreement. It seemed important, whatever it was. Jeryy was observant like that. “So, anything for you or Allen?” he turned to the tart crusts.

  
  


Link nodded. “Gruel for Walker, please. Make it Timothy’s serving size- preferably smaller.”

  
  


Jeryy’s brow raised at the strange, specific request. Why didn’t he say ‘smaller size’ instead? Why say ‘Timothy’s serving size’, then use that as a standard amount? And gruel? _Really?_

  
  


“Anything for you?”

  
  


Link shook his head wordlessly.

  
  


“No problem, sweetie.” there was a moment of comfortable silence until he spoke up again, “so, who’re you hiding from?”

  
  


Link opened his mouth to reply but was promptly interrupted by a hoard of bickering teens. He emitted a soft ‘scheiße’ when he bumped his head on the cabinet he was behind, earning an unimpressed eyebrow arch from the older. Jeryy whirled around just in time to see three blurs enter the cafeteria; two of them were practically strangling each other while the third, more petite one watched silently from afar.

  
  


A grin made its way onto his face. “Good morning, you three! Early today, are we?” he cheered, putting down his utensils.

  
  


The trio returned the greeting (apart from Kanda, of course. He just grumbled.) and travelled across the cafeteria, eyes darting from one empty corner to another every few seconds. The cook brushed off Kanda’s behaviour - the Japanese had always been more attentive to his surroundings.

  
  


As for the other two, Jeryy wouldn’t put it past them, but with what Link had said upon his arrival, there was no way it wasn’t a coincidence.

  
  


_‘Bingo.’_ Jeryy whistled. “Came early for the fruit tarts?”

  
  


Lenalee quickly glanced at the two still-arguing men a few steps back, “well, that’s one of the reasons…”

  
  


“Ah- we’re also looking for Beansprout-chan. Or Link. Either one’s fine.” the redhead chimed in, hearing the beginning of the conversation. He dodged a swing from Mugen, “Woah- have you seen them, Jeryy?”

  
  


“Not since this morning, no.” said the Indian, frowning.

  
  


The two Exorcists deflated, but quickly collected themselves. Jeryy wasn’t surprised when they flashed him their blinding pearly whites, reassuring him that all was well. Lenalee and Lavi always had this happy-go-lucky nature.

  
  


“Tch. Did anyone come in before us?”

  
  


Link dared not to move - let alone even _breathe_. Leave it to Kanda to be overly aware of everything. The odds weren’t in Link’s favour. He peeked around the side of the cabinet, keeping a watching eye on his reflection from a glass jar sitting on the countertop.

  
  


“No, darling.”

  
  


“Bullshit.” challenged Kanda.

  
  


A glint of light caught Jeryy’s attention. He jumped back in horror, “Kanda, sweetie, _please_ don’t slice up the kitchen. Or the cafeteria, for that matter. It’s almost lunchtime.”

  
  


Deep blue, flowing locks waved as Kanda pounced onto the counter, manoeuvring across it as expertly as the CROW. Link jerked his head back into hiding. Apart from his shaky breaths, he could hear Lavi and Lenalee reprimanding the short-tempered swordsman from behind (in front of?) the kitchen window

  
  


“Where did you hide him?”

  
  


A sound of amazement would’ve freely leapt from Link’s throat if he hadn’t been running and hiding from the very people in the room - oh, the _irony_.

  
  


Jeryy frowned. “I didn’t hide anyone.”

  
  


And, well, he didn’t. Link hid himself.

  
  


“Then where did Link hide?” Kanda scowled, eyes flaring with annoyance.

  
  


With a collected breath, Link shifted his position slightly. Instead of revealing his whereabouts right at that moment, he spoke up, “Excellent job, Kanda Yuu.”

  
  


11:56. Approximately 4 minutes left. There was no way Link could’ve avoided the trio without getting caught by hungry, approaching Black Order members. He didn’t doubt that people had begun making their way to the cafeteria. Perhaps Walker’s friends were willing to lend a helping hand in Link’s sneaky escape. Most likely, Walker’s familial group - Kanda included, although it didn’t seem so - were more than happy to help their younger white-haired brotherly figure in any way.

  
  


He crawled out from behind the storage cabinet, dusting himself off once he stood up.

  
  


“Link.” Kanda spat, pointing Mugen at the Inspector.

  
  


Politely, Link returned the gesture. “Kanda.”

  
  


They _really_ had to stop greeting each other like this.

  
  


“Tch.” Then, the swordsman snapped his attention to the sputtering duo, “Oi, I’ve got him.”

  
  


“Oh- right, yes, uh-” Lavi perked up, fumbling over his words, “let’s take him to Allen’s room.”

  
  


Lenalee nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. But how do we hide him from everyone else? Rumours have been circling the Order since they saw him drag Allen out of breakfast today. I’m sure most of the Order has developed some animosity towards Link…”

  
  


Jeryy tiptoed closer to the blonde, small bowl in hand. He pushed it into Link’s gloved hands. “Take care of Allen for me, will you?” his gaze was fond and guilt-ridden.

  
  


“You didn’t need to ask.” Link told him, tone soft. “Ah- thank you for the gruel, Jeryy.”

  
  


The older smiled. “No worries. It was a bit of a specific order, no?”

  
  


“ _Gruel_?” Lavi echoed, interrupting their out-of-context exchange. “Allen’s eating _gruel_? Wait, no, that tiny bowl would never be enough to satisfy his black hole of an appetite.”

  
  


The trio had regrouped inside the kitchen, just an earshot from where Link and Jeryy were standing. All three teens’ expectant gazes jumped from the cook to the CROW. Lavi was right; there was absolutely no way in hell that pathetic serving size - of gruel, no less - could fill Allen’s stomach. Was he sick? Maybe it was for someone else...

  
  


“It’s- It’s _my_ gruel.” the German lied, glancing down at the warm, ceramic dishware. He couldn’t bear to see Jeryy’s disappointed and pitiful look. Yes, Jeryy, he was fully aware of the hole he’d been digging the past few minutes.

  
  


“Oh.”

  
  


Then, Lenalee spoke up. “We should probably get out of here before everyone starts flooding in,” she suggested urgently.

  
  


“Yuu, give me your jacket,” Lavi instructed, leaving no room for argument, hastily shrugging his own off.

  
  


Reluctantly, the sword-wielding Exorcist complied.

  
  


The redhead grabbed the material, silently thanking Kanda for being so cooperative. He turned to Link.

  
  


Oh, no. _No_. Link audibly gulped; he didn’t like the look the boisterous teen had.

  
  


Creeping closer to the blonde, Lavi remained silent. He circled Link like predator and prey, all while flinging around his and Kanda’s Exorcist outerwear.

  
  


He stopped.

  
  


“Allen’s getting a gift today.”

  
  


And he lunged forwards, effectively capturing Link - the CROW didn’t bother moving, they were helping him (in a way) - and wrapping the blonde with the jackets. Using the sleeves, Lavi tied a knot.

  
  


He backed up by a couple of steps. The 18-year-old grinned triumphantly, admiring his, what he dubbed a ‘masterpiece’. “He’s gonna love it.”

  
  


“-man Jr., I appreciate the help, but could you think up another plan where I don’t end up as someone’s _gift_?” came from the bundle, muffled.

  
  


Lenalee giggled. Lavi was wheezing, tears leaking out of the corner of his eye.

  
  


A Finder dashed into the cafeteria. He didn’t notice the commotion in the kitchen, seeing how he enthusiastically fist-pumped before turning to his friends with a smirk plastered on his face. “I win! That’s 50-2, now - 50 for Petey-pie, 2 for ‘the gang’!” he teased.

  
  


Everyone - apart from Link, of course - shared knowing looks of panic. Jeryy was the first to move, diving straight for the fruit tarts. Kanda and Lavi shuffled to each side of Allen’s ‘gift’. In unison, they lifted the bundle, holding it over their shoulders.

  
  


“-down this instant-!”

  
  


“Lenalee, honey,” called Jeryy just as the young lady in question placed a hand on the door handle, “take these with you.”

  
  


He produced a small bag. Inside, Lenalee spotted 5 of Jeryy’s special fruit tarts and Link’s bowl of gruel. She gratefully took it.

  
  


“Thanks, Jeryy.”

  
  


The three boys said the same but in very distinctly different volumes and manners. Jeryy only shook his head, ushering them out of the kitchen with a small, amused smile. He waved them goodbye, “tell Allen I said ‘Hi!’”

  
  


Lavi snorted.

  
  


Earlier that day, he’d asked Link to do the same. He doubted Link had ‘passed on his message’. The CROW had been panicky the last time they saw him - something bad must’ve had happened. And did it involve their Allen? Pfft. _Of course, it did_. The little guy had the worst luck in the Order - maybe even the world.

  
  


“They didn’t suspect a thing!” cheered Lavi the moment they slipped past the wave of Exorcists, Finders, and scientists. “Mission accomplished!”

  
  


Lenalee rolled her eyes, laughing, “I was wondering what you were planning to do with- with the jackets! Great idea, by the way.”

  
  


“I know; I’m amazing.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Although the trio (quartet if you included the bundle) earned a handful of questioning, concerned looks, they’d managed to run all the way to Allen’s room without getting caught - _‘I mean, this is probably everyday occurrence to them. You do realize we do some pretty weird shit, right, Lenalady?’_. The halls closer to the dorms were empty; everyone had most likely retreated to the cafeteria.

  
  


Link landed on the floor with an ‘oomph’. Hey, at least the jackets kind of cushioned the fall.

  
  


“Sorry, Link.” Lavi suppressed a bark of laughter. “I- I didn’t- it was Yuu! Yuuuuu, why’d you do that so aggressively?”

  
  


“Shut it, Baka Usagi! And don’t call me that!”

  
  


The CROW slumped on the wall (presumably) next to Allen’s room door.

  
  


“Quiet, you two! What if Allen’s resting?”

  
  


“Oh, shit.” Lavi cursed. He lowered his voice, whisper-shouting, “Yuu, you heard that!”

  
  


Kanda jabbed the redhead in the stomach. In the same volume, he said, “I’ll slice all your hair off!”

  
  


“ _Shave_ \- not slice, Yuu.”

  
  


“Fuck off!”

  
  


The Inspector had allowed a bunch of idiots to kidnap him. It almost went unnoticed, but he felt it. A feeling he hadn’t felt ever since he’d been on the streets of Germany, surrounded by his best friends, his family.

  
  


He missed it - the warm, fuzzy feeling.

  
  


Then he remembered.

  
  


Aw, snap.

  
  


He’d forgotten to grab some clothes for Ewan.

  
  


And Ewan, not Walker, was in the room in the form of Walker’s younger self, butt naked with a very confused Komui Lee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mMMmMMm this was pretty dialogue heavy and kinda all over the place...sorry D:
> 
> also! if it wasn't that clear, ewan is past allen (i just changed their name since it got confusing :P)
> 
> on a brighter note, thanks for reading!! please let me know if you enjoyed it :)
> 
> i really appreciated the comments on the first chapter (i honestly wasn't expecting that many-), they really made my day!
> 
> stay tuned for chapter 3 (ノ・∀・)ノ


	3. Bash Komui Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry, komui

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH thank you all sO MUCH FOR ALL THE HITS AND KUDOS AND COMMENTS!! seeing/reading them make me want to cry, i didn't think the response would be this fucking amazing D:
> 
> also, i made a few tweaks in the last chapter. actually, no- i really just rewrote the entire snowy forest part thing and what comes after, so you can uhh go ahead and check that out if you want!!
> 
> now, without further ado: guys, gals, nonbinary pals, hope you enjoy this chappie :)

“Komui.”

  
  


“Hm?”

  
  


“It’s November, right? And the sea’s just outwith.”

  
  


The older nodded, face masked with terribly covered-up confusion; Komui had never been the best at acting.

  
  


“Then why’s it so cold? It’s _baltic_ in here - I’m about to freeze my arse off.”

  
  


Ewan hated the cold - there was no mistaking it. They hated the snowflakes that had pierced their pale skin. They hated the seas of penetrating whites and silvers that stripped them of the eternal mellow golds at the arrival of each godforsaken winter. The sight of the wheat submerged in layers of snow, trapped and unmoving, brought tears to their eyes. Poor things.

  
  


The Scottish countryside had been - and will continue to be - Ewan’s sanctum. The Campbell Manor had welcomed them with open arms, despite the daunting, melancholic air that had settled around the looming brick walls. A week or two had gone by till it deemed Ewan family, picking up speed and happily playing with silky strands of reddish-brown. Neah had jested, one clear-skied morning as they pranced up the drive, _“the winds here are like a protective, almost obsessive baby, y’ see. Take away what it holds dear, and it’ll go batshit crazy.”_

  
  


And then, as Neah had warned, it was gone.

  
  


The wind that once danced with their bubbly laughter had stirred from its peaceful reverie, becoming a whirlwind of raging whispers that besieged all who trespassed the residence. The cursed winter had always brought misfortunes upon the lot of them, plucking the life out of their world like stealing candy from a baby - a tragedy, really.

  
  


“It’s the air-cooling system; the Science Division and I invented it a while back.”

  
  


“That sounds… _interesting_ ,” Ewan said, going with the flow. Was that even possible, a system that cooled the air? “And very tedious.”

  
  


The scientist gave a hearty chuckle at the comment. “The Order had never spent more on coffee beans than we had that week,” he confirmed, gazing out the window behind Ewan, orbs of liquefied nostalgia following each wave as it crashed into jagged rocks.

  
  


“Coffee’s the devil’s drink; that stuff’s pure dead rank.”

  
  


Komui’s eyes snapped to the younger’s pudgy face before zoning in on Al- Ewan’s murky pools of silvery-grey. For a moment there, he truly believed that he was talking to Allen. “He said the same thing, you know.”

  
  


“Who?”

  
  


“Allen.”

  
  


Ewan grinned sheepishly, displaying a set of rather stained and unhealthy teeth.

  
  


Komui, who had never been trained to spot the lesser details, hadn’t noticed it whenever Ewan opened their mouth. Safe to say, he was caught off guard, but not surprised. Of course, the potion reverted the state of Allen’s body, which explained the pasty skin peppered with sombre, undoubtedly human inflicted bruises and recent gashes. Internal tooth discolouration; their Allen must’ve done something to replace his row with those blinding whites.

  
  


“What can I say? It’s the Brit blood running through our veins,” joked Ewan, flinching as another chill attacked their senses.

  
  


Then, it was Komui’s turn to be confused. “I thought you said you weren’t British?”

  
  


“I live - _lived_ \- in Scotland. I like to say I’m Scottish, rather than British,” they told him with ease.

  
  


A pause.

  
  


Komui rubbed his chin, seemingly contemplative, and in an unwavering voice, he stated, “so you’re a separate entity?”

  
  


Whoever this Ewan was, they appeared to have had a past - a life of their own. The Branch Chief had managed to catch onto bits and pieces of information throughout their conversation - a feat of his that he was surely going to tell Lenalee about later that day. So far, he’d collected the following: someone called ‘Neah’, the confusion with the alleged dream-forest and - the most recent addition to his imaginary list - Ewan, a Scot, who had resided in Scotland.

  
  


“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  
  


He resisted the urge to yell at the other; the secrecy was beginning to get on his nerves. “Would it help if Cross was here?”

  
  


Somewhat begrudgingly, Ewan nodded.

  
  


Words couldn’t express how thankful they’d be with Marian around. Though as dishonourable and crooked as he was, the General Exorcist was loyal and trustworthy - the debt-loaded man would no doubt carry out promises that stretched for _years_. And he had a myriad of valuable connections due to his worldwide underhanded endeavours, but Ewan liked to pretend they hadn’t found them useful in any way.

  
  


In short, Marian was a man of his word.

  
  


Plus, they were the best of buds - the four of them. They stuck together through thick and thin, even as the circle’s members dropped like flies. Sure, no longer were they connected by physical means (except for Marian, perhaps), but to Ewan, their souls had always been connected. Though, ever since about 34 years ago - the year after Neah’s death - they had been soul-linked, thanks to their and Marian’s year-long toiling. The five of them - Ewan, Neah, Mana, Marian, and Ewan’s younger twin - were truly connected.

  
  


_‘Younger twin? Since when did I have a sibling? And included in the soul-link, no less... Marian’s going to have a fun time answering all my questions.’_

  
  


“I can’t fix this without him,” was all they said.

  
  


“Fix-? Nevermind,” Komui caught himself, knowing that his questions would be left unanswered for the time being, “the Order needs Cross to return soon either way.”

  
  


“Where’d he go?”

  
  


Komui slumped, visibly exhausted, “we’ve been getting reports from Finders saying that they’d seen Cross; the problem is that these sightings are scattered all over the world, with unreasonable intervals between each one.”

  
  


“Unreasonable?” Ewan asked, eyebrow quirked.

  
  


“A ‘tall, red-haired man’ was in Bangkok’s red-light district one morning,” the Branch Chief started, reciting what he’d heard from the Finders, “then, later that day, a ‘redhead with a skull-like half-mask’ was reported to be seen...”

  
  


The words died on the tip of his tongue as he turned to Ewan with wide eyes, slack-jawed; his dark orbs held the look of someone who had just made a life-changing discovery - for the better or worst, Ewan didn’t know.

  
  


“ _Teleportation_.” Komui breathed out, a rush of new thoughts and ideas breaking down his mental floodgates. “The- the Ark. _Allen’s_.”

  
  


“Why didn’t I think of this before? How didn’t _any_ of us bring it up? It was so obvious, so why- no, Komui, calm down. You have the theory, so now you prove it right.” He continued, breathing laboured. The scientist showed no sign of stopping his panicked soliloquy, so Ewan sat in silence, watching him with wary eyes.

  
  


“But Allen wouldn’t- even _he_ had no clue as to where Cross had run off to. Besides, Allen’s never been to some of those places.” He paused. “For _missions_. He could’ve gone there during his training with Cross! Of course, he could’ve. Of course. _Of course_.”

  
  


Then, a voice, chopped up and muffled from the other side of the room. “-do that--aggressively?”

  
  


Ewan jolted up in alarm.

  
  


“-Usagi--call me-!” scolded another voice.

  
  


Komui appeared to have not heard them, too absorbed in his reeling thoughts. Even if Ewan tried, they couldn’t make sense of his incoherent bits of sentences, “-Krasnoyarsk, then Paris--this morning, Allen--potion--able to operate the Ark--impossible-!”

  
  


The younger took the initiative to move, cautiously reaching forward for the frantic man. Allen’s pale, battered, humane arm grasped Komui’s Branch Chief uniform. With a handful of soft white fabric, Ewan hastily tugged, earning the other’s attention.

  
  


“There are people at the door,” they informed, voice hushed.

  
  


At this, the room fell silent. Komui’s mouth had snapped shut. Ewan eyed the other’s face for a sign of recognition; perhaps Link would’ve had brought someone along with him. Komui’s expression hardened, much to their surprise. So the man could be serious when he wanted to.

  
  


Both occupants slid their eyes to the door. They exchanged wary looks before Komui decided to speak up.

  
  


“Link?” he tried.

  
  


“Komui? Why are you in li’l Sprout’s room?” a voice questioned from the other side of the door, sounding vaguely like the first mutter Ewan heard.

  
  


The Branch Chief in question darted to the door, hands flying to the locks in a flurry - though he didn’t lock the door. “Lavi, what a pleasant surprise!” Komui said with a strained tone, “what brings you to Allen’s room?”

  
  


The response was quick and condemning, “what are _you_ doing in Allen’s room?”

  
  


Komui snapped his head back, gaze fixing on the near-naked child on the bed. His eyes, Ewan saw, were wide with fear. Yeah, this could lead to some major misunderstandings - mostly _unprofessional_ , not child-friendly ones.

  
  


“Is- Is Link out there?”

  
  


“We have him hostage!” Lavi cheered. A loud smack later, he sputtered, “I mean, a present. He’s supposed to be Allen’s get-well-soon gift. Oh, so are the tarts. Jeryy gave us a few of ‘em.”

  
  


Ewan’s jaw hung open. ‘What?’ they mouthed. Who _were_ these people? They were doolally - absolutely mad. Though, they weren’t the craziest Ewan had ever seen, no; the Campbells beat the Order by a long shot. Along with the Noah family, of course, but that was an entirely different story for later. The current situation caused them enough headaches.

  
  


“...Link?” Komui called out for the blonde.

  
  


A muffled voice, so quiet that Ewan had almost missed it, sounded from the other side of the door, “I can confirm; Bookman Junior, Kanda Yuu and Lenalee Lee have indeed taken me hostage.”

  
  


“Um,” the Chinese man sounded, clearly at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say? ‘Good job, Link! By the way, how did they manage that? Did they lure you in with sweets?’

  
  


Then, Ewan grinned, much to Komui’s horror.

  
  


“Sure, let them in.”

  
  


Their voice reverberated around Allen’s room, Northern English drawl unmistakable in their childish pitch.

  
  


“It’s not what you think it is!” Komui rushed to defend himself. “There’s nothing suspicious about this!” Everything about it was suspicious.

  
  


A new voice, feminine, chimed in, “Brother… are you-?”

  
  


“No!” he fumbled with the doorknob. “No, no. _No_! It’s a misunderstanding, you see, my dear Lenalee.”

  
  


The door opened with an audible _whoosh_ , Komui’s face inches away from the swinging chunk of wood. He jumped back, letting the newcomers enter the room. Three curious heads filtered in, terror making its way onto their faces when they caught sight of mini-Allen’s body. Komui cried - the unholy thought had already etched its way into their minds.

  
  


A head of fluffy gingery locks - a shade of red that was much lovelier than Ewan’s rusted one - wrapped up in a bandana skipped into the room, visible eye rounded in terror, posture relaxed and full of openings. The eye, coloured emerald green, darted around, drinking in the scene down to the finest detail. _‘Strange. A cheery act, perhaps?’_ Ewan hummed.

  
  


The second newcomer was tall, slim with long luscious locks of black pulled back into a ponytail, and facial features of an Asian’s drawn into a deep, unwelcoming scowl; a thin, simplistic black scabbard held in a protective grasp. Looked to be the explosive, straightforward type. Could probably slice Ewan easily with that sword. Dark brown, almond-shaped eyes pierced through them. _‘Do I want to die a second time?’_ they half-chuckled, _‘no, thank you. Once is already enough for me.’_

  
  


The last figure was much shorter than the others. Black shoulder-length hair framed a soft, petite face with lips tinted slightly pink. A small bag filled with unknown items swung from slender fingers as the group of teens came to a standstill. A curious yet stern gaze, ready to scold any misbehaving souls. _‘Not a force to be reckoned with.’_

  
  


_‘Smiley one-eyed redhead ‘Lavi’, scowling ponytail samurai ‘Kanda Yuu’ and who I’m guessing is Komui’s sibling, his ‘dear Lenalee’,’_ noted Ewan with an excited smile. They decided, on the spot, that they’d let the trio in on the little secret that Allen was temporarily absent. Link, they knew - with 100% confidence - wasn’t someone easily kidnapped; he had a solid reason for letting them do it. Whether it was trust or pure luck that the three of them had successfully taken Link hostage, Ewan was willing to put their trust in Allen’s friends. The tone Lavi had used on Komui had this protective timbre, like family shielding one another.

  
  


Besides, they was doing Komui and Link a favour - and Marian, perhaps - in rounding up some little helpers for their plan of action. The more, the merrier.

  
  


They pulled Allen’s dress shirt closer to themself, making sure to cover every necessary part - the arm included. “Good morning, Allen’s friends!”

  
  


“It’s 12:04 right now,” said Lavi, desperate for a distraction. “Also, it should be ‘good afternoon, Allen’s lovely friends!’ since, y’ know, we’re _awesome_.”

  
  


Ewan made an ‘o’ with their mouth, and mimicked a jolly tone, “good afternoon!”

  
  


“Hey, now you’ve just completely dropped the second half.” At Ewan’s silent pout, Lavi directed his attention to the few people who definitely knew what the fuck was going on. “Also, Komui, _what the fuck_?”

  
  


Kanda stepped forward, dragging a wrapped up Link with him. “Why the fuck is there a kid?”

  
  


Lenalee - the only sensible person in that room, an angel, bless her - gave the two teens a well-deserved whack on their heads. She nudged her head in Ewan’s direction, “there is a child in the room. Please refrain from tainting this young, innocent soul.”

  
  


“Aye, aye,” the ‘child’ nodded, feigning ignorance, “I’m so very innocent.”

  
  


“No, we’re not playing this game again, Ewan! An hour, I spent _an hour_ trying to get something out of you. And did I get anything? No!” Komui shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger at the smaller redhead. “And don’t you dare say that I’m a ‘shitty interviewer with mingin’ people skills’ - whatever that means!”

  
  


“First of all, don’t exaggerate. Our _session_ was, like, 10 minutes. And second of all, every person with some kind of obsession over their sibling is bad at communication,” said Ewan, their tone growing soft at the end. Like the words of a sage, wise and knowing of all life had to offer, Lavi observed - because, well, Ewan was right. Komui’s approach towards socialising was, to say, very questionable.

  
  


Somehow, Link had wiggled free from his restraints and rushed to intercept the productive, civilized conversation they were having. He had dived into Walker’s wardrobe, sifted through the rack of white dress shirts, and picked out the one that appeared to be the smallest. It stood out, being well-worn, with several stitches here and there and the occasional bloodstain - which all decorated the yellowish tint the material had taken over time.

  
  


Link held it forward. “I’ll hold the ‘curtain’ for privacy if you don’t mind.” He gestured at the material pulled across Allen’s younger body.

  
  


“Why are you-?” Lavi’s question came to a stop when an imaginary lightbulb lit up above his crown of fiery red. “That’s Allen, isn’t it? Mini-Allen. Except it’s not. It’s this Ewan person.”

  
  


Well done. He wasn’t Bookman Junior for nothing, after all. Both Komui and Link had known it was only mere minutes until Lavi figured the majority of the situation out. And when he had solved it, he would relay his thoughts to the two men, giving Kanda and Lenalee the answer to their questions or at least a basis for their suspicions.

  
  


Ewan erupted in a fit of giggles. They saw the strange looks they was getting from the others, and, with one last bout of muffled laughter, composed themself, “sorry, sorry. It’s just- ‘Mini-Allen’? He’d bite my head off.”

  
  


“Which reminds me,” Komui said before anyone could respond to Lavi’s suspicion, “where _is_ Allen?”

  
  


Link sent the Branch Chief a questioning look.

  
  


“Marian’ll know,” was all Ewan said, and scurried off to the darker corner of Allen’s room with Link in tow - clothes in hand.

  
  


Kanda tutted, irritated that he was brought into something with zero context. Because, come on, if you’d planned to drag him into whatever-the-hell-shit-show-it-was, he needed some information so he, too, could collect his own. If he’d gotten some background on the situation before being dragged into the room, he would’ve been able to extract a good amount of intelligence from Ewan, Komui and Link’s exchanges. To be so clueless; Kanda despised it as much as he hated the Order.

  
  


“Komui, Lavi- I don’t _fucking care_ which one of you it is, just explain _whatever the fuck this is_!” he scowled, unable to be kept in the dark any longer. He knew he was being impatient, bratty, childish, but did he care? No.

  
  


Lavi looked pointedly at the Branch Chief. Funnily enough, the intensity of his lone, vivid green eye was enough to be the last blow for Komui’s resolve to crack, because the Chinese silently hung his head in guilt, avoiding their expectant gazes.

  
  


“I made the Rejuvenation Potion 2.0. For Allen’s consumption. _I’m_ responsible-”

  
  


“It was Lvellie. It was Lvellie. _It was Lvellie_.” Lenalee cut him off, repeating the accusation through gritted teeth as though it really was all Lvellie’s fault. And she wasn’t wrong - it _was_ his fault. “He ordered you to make the potion, didn’t he? That’s why you were bringing a batch of unlabeled experiments to the storeroom - to hide the evidence.”

  
  


Komui’s lips firmly sealed shut. So they’d figured him out. They would automatically filter out anything he said, knowing that it’d most likely be a lie to cover up Lvellie’s tracks. All those years spent protecting the Black Order from Central, fabricating white lies as if it were part of his everyday routine (it was). Komui couldn’t help it; it was a habit - tied into his body, deeply ingrained in his mind, the rules administered by the Vatican.

  
  


It was a habit he couldn’t seem to break.

  
  


“ _Central_ ,” he spat, earning looks of surprise, “the Vatican, wanted to know more about the 14th,” the words left his mouth before he could stop them, so, seeing this as an opportunity to break free, he let them flow, “so Lvellie ordered me to create a potion of sorts that would de-age Allen.”

  
  


It was a habit he couldn’t seem to break - unless it was for his family, of course.

  
  


“It- It _worked_ , but we’ve run into some unexpected results,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

  
  


“That’s so cruel,” cried Lenalee. “Allen’s never done anything wrong.”

  
  


“Allen plus de-ageing potion equals mini-Allen and Ewan,” Lavi condensed the situation into a measly equation and snorted, “sounds like a problem I won’t have fun solving. Exciting, yes. Fun, no. But, hey, life’s never fun.”

  
  


A high-pitched voice cut through the air, “and what does that make me - a variable or constant? I say variable; I’m a mystery youse can’t seem to figure out.”

  
  


Alle- Ewan stood, barefoot, just outside of the circle the group had unconsciously formed during their discussion. Allen’s dress shirt swallowed them whole, tucked into a pair of capri pants Link had found in the back of the closet. The pants’ garment - as brown as the rust on the East End’s plethora of pipes - was worn out, with snags and tears and splotches of reddish-brown and black. Whether it was dirt or blood, Allen’s friends didn’t know. Why had Allen kept such a thing? No one had a clue. 

  
  


“Chief Lee, what did you mean when you asked Ewan on Walker’s whereabouts?”

  
  


Komui’s eyes lit up. He beamed at the CROW, then at Lenalee, “I was very attentive during our conversation; I’d made some interesting discoveries, Link, Lenalee!”

  
  


In the back, Lenalee murmured under her breath, confused, “why’s this directed towards me too?”

  
  


“And...?” Link prompted.

  
  


“Ewan here was friends with General Cross - in their past life, of course,” Komui gushed. “Oh- and Cross may have been using the Ark to travel around.”

  
  


Link blinked. “Bookman Junior makes better jokes.”

  
  


Surprisingly, Lavi brushed off the indirect insult - Lavi had always thought of his jokes as top tier humour. “I don’t think he’s lying, Two Spots. Komui’s bad at it, that’s why. He can’t lie for shit unless it’s about Lenalady.”

  
  


Komui tensed. Well, little do _they_ know...

  
  


Three heads nodded - Ewan’s, Lenalee’s and, surprisingly, Kanda’s. As weird and absurd as it sounded, Komui wasn’t lying. In fact, it explained many things, from Ewan’s atypical behaviour to the General’s impossibly timed travels. Lenalee cheered; she was proud of her brother. He’d thought up of something useful, for once.

  
  


The blue-haired Exorcist chipped in, “he’s got a shitty sense of humour, too. But he’s telling the truth. It makes sense.”

  
  


What was this - Bash Komui Day? He sneaked a glance at his sister, hoping for her to stand up for him. She blessed him with one of her sweet, angelic smiles. Komui relaxed at the gesture; his dear sister always had his back.

  
  


“Why don’t we ask Ewan himself?” Lenalee waved an arm at them, purposefully dodging having to defend her brother’s ego.

  
  


Link caught her mistake, and reprimanded, “Ewan uses singular they/them pronouns. They also goes by masculine honorifics.”

  
  


Before everything got awkward, Ewan swiftly butted in - Lenalee hadn't known prior to that, so they thought the scolding had been a little much. To know and ignore, and simply not knowing were two distinctly different things. “Ta, Goldilocks,” they said. “And aye, the first part Komui had said was, indeed, correct. As for the other half, I’m not too sure.”

  
  


“What about the 14th?”

  
  


They glared daggers at Lavi. “He has a name, you know. Neah’s got a personality, a life of his own; he’s not just some ‘14th’ that the Noah’s hated.” Ewan seethed, grey eyes storming.

  
  


Back when Ewan had a body of their own, Neah had despised the nickname that the Noah had given him out of spite. ‘The 14th’ this, ‘the 14th’ that; Ewan could see Neah’s expression falter each time his supposed family had referred to him by the nickname. _“Let them be,”_ he’d said, a month into living with Road and the others. Half a year later, with a smile so brittle, basked in the evanescent winter, he’d laughed - hollow, just like his golden eyes - _“they’re just messing with me, Ewan. It’s a little familial teasing.”_

  
  


Confronting the family hadn’t been an option for them - they had known full well the advantages the Noah had over them. To cause a commotion with 13 enhanced humans was to knock on death’s door. So, they persevered. Together, hand-in-hand - the larger as warm as the filtered rays of first summery light on the morrow, engulfing the smaller, as frigid as the first snow of winter - with false smiles that could rival the Earl’s, they wandered the country as if their world hadn’t been crumbling, hadn’t been on the edge of destruction.

  
  


“Sorry, sorry,” said Lavi, “so his name’s Neah, right?”

  
  


Ewan nodded briskly, “Neah’s the 14th Noah. He’s somewhere off deep in our mindscape, I’m guessing.” They paused, then added on, “I’ll need to search for the rest later on. No hurry, though. Marian’s top priority.”

  
  


“Search-? So Allen isn’t gone?” asked Komui, face brightening.

  
  


“If Allen’s gone, then so am I; but I’m here, which means Allen’s just missing for the time being,” Ewan explained, then waved an arm around their circle, “And we’re stuck with each other until we fix this.”

  
  


Lavi shifted his weight from one leg to the other, giving a brief nod to Komui. “And the Ark? Cross hitching a free ride?”

  
  


Ewan rubbed their chin. “I’m not too familiar with its mechanics, but I believe that Allen would know if Marian’s been messing about with the Ark.”

  
  


Each time someone stepped foot into the Ark, Allen felt their presence. It’d disturbed him at the very beginning, occasionally hearing a distant twang or sudden shift in his connection with the Ark, but over time, Allen had grown accustomed to them. If he could sleep through the night with winter nibbling away at his naked face, ears and hands, then he, too, could sleep through ‘minor disturbances’, as he’d told Timcanpy one starry night, the candlelight revealing dark shadows under moon-like orbs.

  
  


“He knows whenever someone enters the Ark,” they told the group. “Marian’s presence is much more extreme than one of youse’s. It’s got this, this aura that I can’t explain. Very unique - intense. It’s easy to tell him apart from the Order members.”

  
  


Lenalee shakily raised her hand, eyes darting around, puzzled. “We’ve been searching for General Cross for years. Ark or not, he’s impossible to catch. Shouldn’t we just... wait for him to come to us?”

  
  


“Lenalee’s right.” Kanda concurred, voice surprisingly gentle. “Word goes around too fast - Cross’ll find out about this whole mess within a week, then he’ll come running back to help the Moyashi.”

  
  


“He came back to help li’l Sprout during the Ark incident. If it has something to do with the- Neah, there’s a high chance General Cross’ll return to help him out, which means helping Sprout. Indirect help, in a sense.” said Lavi.

  
  


Silent fell once more, and everyone stopped to think - to let the information sink in. It explained many things and filled many holes, supported by the fact that it’d happened before; the theory had a solid chance to be proven correct. So, in turn, there was a solid chance that the truant General would return to the Black Order.

  
  


Ewan was the first to speak up.

  
  


“Actually,” a sly smirk spread, “Marian might be well on his way here - if he’s not blootered, that is.”

  
  


“Wha-?”

  
  


_Crash._

  
  


The door flew across the room, hitting the wall full-force, bits of wood flying everywhere - someone was sure to get a splinter, specifically a scientist, 29-years-old, who wore a white beret.

  
  


In a split second, Kanda, Link and Lavi had gotten into their battle stances, ready to strike if needed. Lenalee, on the other hand, was trapped - Komui’s first instinct was to protect his precious sister. And Ewan simply stood in place, knowing that, according to multiple quick calculations, the projectile had no chance of coming anywhere close to them.

  
  


A tall shadow stalked into Allen’s room, a trail of white, misty smoke behind it.

  
  


“What the fuck was that, huh, _Ew_ wie?” the figure growled, waving an empty bottle of wine around, “Me? Blootered? _Drunk_?”

  
  


Fiery reds met moonlit silvers. An arm jerked out as the glass bottle was shoved into Ewan’s face, “I’m immune to this goddamn stuff.”

  
  


Ewan skillfully moved back onto the bed, leaving the swaying intruder behind, and with Allen’s only movable arm, pat on the spot of pristine sheets beside them. They plastered on a smile, the corners of their mouth stretched an inch too much - it looked like it hurt - “it’s been a while, hasn’t it, Marian?”


	4. Enter Cross

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHDJHAKWHDJ HI
> 
> okay so:
> 
> 1\. help why did this get so many hits & kudos THANK YOU ALL SO MUCHH??? SOBS
> 
> 2\. i'm so sorry for this 2 month wait,, at first it was genshin that took over my life then school and exams happened- SO!! i've been thinking of making the chapters shorter?? like maybe around this length (2k??) which would probably make it easier to write and edit... if you have any suggestions and whatnot, i'd love for you to comment them pls i have no idea what i'm doing
> 
> 3\. ALSO i'm thinking of writing dgm ficlets that may or may not be canon compliant??? mmmmm it'll fuel my dgm brainrot too...
> 
> 4\. regarding my genshin addiction, i tweet a lot about it [here](https://twitter.com/pumpk1nseeds) (and occasionally anime) and you can learn more about me [here](https://anorangecarrot.carrd.co/)  
>   
> AHIDUHA I'M SORRY this chapter's a little messy and might be confusing mostly because i've got a whole lot to unpack in the coming chapters!! NOW ENJOY :D

Cross Marian hated snow.

  
  


That didn’t mean he disliked winter, no. He absolutely loved the season. But the snow - those wretched, sneaky little crystals - loved to make his life ten times harder.

  
  


“You’re getting my carpet all wet, you know.”

  
  


He peaked a brow, proceeding to shake off the remaining flakes of snow from his boots. “Do I look like I care?”

  
  


Cross puffed smoke as he narrowly dodged an airborne apple. Ira scowled, “at least clean your boots by the fuckin’ door, mудак.”

  
  


“You invited me over for tea; I feel a little entitled to some hospitality here.” His voice held an air of smugness as he collapsed into the velvet, pillow-filled loveseat, grinning.

  
  


Ira snorted. “I invited you over because of this ‘idiot apprentice’ of yours. Stop putting words in my mouth, you worm.”

  
  


Cross eyed the snowy plains outside, the eerie white landscape akin to an old painting. Grunting, he reached for the lone wine bottle standing on the oaken coffee table.

  
  


His idiot apprentice had gotten himself into a mess again - how many times did Cross have to save his sorry ass? Though if it weren’t a life-or-death situation, he would’ve turned a blind eye and slipped back into the arms of his lady; the intel he’d gathered so far didn’t raise any overly obvious red flags. But there were smaller, barely noticeable specks of blood-red beginning to contaminate the seemingly untouched whites. And Cross knew brewing trouble when he saw it.

  
  


Oh, he knew it all too well.

  
  


He puffed at his cigarette, nerves loosening, and turned his attention to Ira. “So? What about him?”

  
  


“Ivan, my Finder cousin, said something about ‘Central’s dog dragging Mr Walker out of breakfast’,” Ira said nonchalantly.

  
  


_‘Central dog. Central dog? What was his name again-? L, L, Lachlan? Lenny?’_

  
  


Cross scoffed. “They took that brat away from his food? Talk about harsh,” he glanced back outside, “well, it was nice seeing you again, I guess.”

  
  


“You’re leaving so soon? Ah- no, you should hurry. If Central’s involved, you know he’s in some deep shit.” Ira frowned, handing him a bottle of cooled wine, “I look forward to your next visit, дорогой. And bring the little tyke with you, yes?”

  
  


He rose from the couch wordlessly.

  
  


“Cross, the boy’s going to live. He’s a roach, that one. He’ll always come back.”

  
  


He felt the door handle through his thick gloves.

  
  


_Click._

  
  


“Kака́шка-” Ira tsked, “what do women even see in you?”

  
  


Icy winds raged past him, piercing through his scarred, calloused skin - he let himself feel the force of nature.

  
  


And he began his journey.

  
  


_‘A roach, huh?’_

  
  


He smirked. _‘Suits him.’_

  
  


* * *

  
  


Cross had never seen such bullshit. And that meant a lot, since Cross’d seen a lot of bullshit in his life.

  
  


“What the fuck is _that_?”

  
  


The room was completely silent; he received no response or acknowledgement apart from Ewan’s very nice welcome. Cross slowly raised an arm, and was about to slam a fist on the doorframe before a glinting yellow orb darted in out of nowhere.

  
  


Cross chuckled at the golem’s behaviour - nuzzling himself in Cross’ hair.

  
  


“Yo, Tim.”

  
  


“Marian, are you really going to ignore me like that?” pouted Ewan from across the room.

  
  


Cross let out a puff of smoke, looking at the people in the room. “Is everyone here going to ignore me like that?” he mocked.

  
  


“You ass,” Ewan stuck out their tongue. “Ask Kyle or Goldilocks over there; they’ve been with me since I woke up.”

  
  


Cross, having had the delight of knowing Ewan for so many years, happened to know exactly who they was referring to. He supposed their way of choosing nicknames was _interesting_ , to say the least.

  
  


He grunted, jabbing a finger at the Branch Chief. “You.” Komui froze. “Explain.”

  
  


All the attention averted to the man in question. Komui gulped, giving Link a look that clearly said ‘um, a little help?’. The latter pretended not to see it.

  
  


“B-But you have to promise that you won’t get mad, okay?”

  
  


Cross sputtered, choking on the smoke. Komui only paled. “What are you, a kid? What the fuck happened to my idiot apprentice?”

  
  


_‘Well, funny story, Cross. Your idiot apprentice is now a child! And Allen’s missing, with Ewan in his place!’_ “Allen’s… on a vacation.”

  
  


Cross reached for Judgement.

  
  


“Things happened,” revealed Komui in a rush, his face in a panic, “Allen got de-aged and now he’s missing, Ewan here-” they waved shyly, “-is in mini-Allen’s body. How did they get there? We’ve no clue. Ewan said you’d know more about this whole situation…?” Komui obviously wanted to toss the ball into Cross’ court, making the last sentence up.

  
  


Nevermind that. Ewan didn’t respond to the fib, meaning that what he’d said was, in fact, true. Perhaps Komui had a better grasp of the situation than Cross thought.

  
  


Cross _did_ know more than Komui and even Bookman about this whole situation. But he was pretty sure that Ewan knew more than he did. Scratch that, Ewan planned the entire thing. They lead their research and everything that the trio accomplished. There was no way Cross knew more than they did.

  
  


He narrowed down to two things. The first: Ewan was pretending to be clueless. The second: something went very, _very_ wrong when he left Allen after Ewan resurfaced.

  
  


Or the third: Ewan had lied to him 34 years ago. But Cross didn’t want to consider the possibility.

  
  


“Ewwie-”

  
  


“Marian.”

  
  


Cross gritted his teeth. “As obnoxious as ever, now are you, _Ewwie_?”

  
  


They shrugged, indifferent. “You started it, _Marian_.”

  
  


“I suddenly remember what triggered my alcohol addiction,” he groaned. The rest of the room watched the interaction with wide eyes.

  
  


Ewan tilted their head innocently. “Oh? And what was it?”

  
  


Cross lost his patience. He lashed out, reaching for the small body scrambling for safety. “It was _you_ , you little shit!”

  
  


They ducked behind Komui; they pushed the older forward as if he were a shield. Poor guy.

  
  


“Sorry, but I don’t speak French.”

  
  


“Don’t pull that bullshit with me!”

  
  


“Respect your elders, you ass!”

  
  


“I’m in my fucking 50s - more than twice of your age!”

  
  


Ewan smirked. It was terrifying on mini-Allen’s face. Cross knew that look; he immediately lunged for them. “Ah, I miss the teenage you. Remember when you flirted with that-?” they sidestepped Cross.

  
  


“Shut-! Don’t bring that into this, Ewwie!” he whined like a prepubescent teen. “ _It’s embarrassing._ ”

  
  


They snorted. “ _Right_. So what were you going to say? Before you called me obnoxious.”

  
  


By the time Ewan brought the conversation back on track, it was too late. Cross looked up. He’d forgotten that there were others in the room. His face burned as red as his hair when he snarled at said others.

  
  


“If word of this gets out, you’re as good as dead. You hear me?” he threatened, but the prominent blush took away the intended effect.

  
  


Ewan fell over, tears falling as they tried their best to keep the amusement under wraps. They missed the brotherly quarrels they had together. So did Cross, though he’d never admit it.

  
  


Lavi had retreated behind Kanda - presumably for protection - with the former red-faced from laughing and the latter stood still, brain struggling to process what they were seeing unfold. The two blood-related siblings in the room watched from the other side of the room; Lenalee was leaning against her brother, both with gentle, amused smiles gracing their lips.

  
  


“You two bicker like siblings,” commented Lenalee. It was endearing seeing this other side of Cross. The General had never shown his care and affection for anyone the Order knew.

  
  


The redhead - Cross, not Ewan - did a double-take at that. “Is that so? Well, you should see Ewan and Drew go at it. That shitshow deserves an award.”

  
  


_‘...Drew?’_ Ewan echoed in their mind. The name was familiar in the sense that it rolled off their tongue as if they’d said it a million times before. But… who was Drew? Where had Ewan heard of it?

  
  


“And who is Drew?” asked Link, pulling out a pen and his trusty notebook.

  
  


Cross’ nostrils flared. His eyes hardened and his posture stiffened. “Not answering that. Moving on-”

  
  


“Marian, who’s this Drew lad?”

  
  


The General paused.

  
  


“What?”

  
  


Ewan cleared their throat, “who’s Drew?”

  
  


The man’s eyes widened, and his face melted through a hundred different emotions before settling on pure horror. “Don’t tell me… back then…?”

  
  


“Marian. What happened?”

  
  


Cross could only stare. His mind raced, each individual memory flashing in and out faster than the waves crashing into the mountain. Voices overlapped one another. Faces blurred. Suddenly Cross didn’t know what had been the truth and what had not. Had Ewan lied 34 years ago? Had they really given up something they’d held so dear to themself?

  
  


He slugged over to the bed. “You fucking idiot, Ewan. You were wrong.”

  
  


“Marian…?” They said, uneased by Cross’ sudden show of emotion. “Wrong-? Wrong about what?”

  
  


The idiot in question didn’t have a clue as to what they was wrong about; it had been a long time since they’d seen the redhead. Perhaps he was referring to something from before their death? Perhaps it had to do something with the events of 34 years ago…?

  
  


But Ewan couldn’t recall much of their life 34 years prior. Sure, they remembered important things like their personal information - name, age, gender - and connections with people around them - for example, Cross and Neah. And they had particular, important memories that came and went in brief flashes, yet each scene felt real as if they was truly reliving the moment.

  
  


They recalled the three of them doing loads of experiments and research, though whether they could remember what the trio was experimenting and researching on was a conversation for later. Both Cross and Neah had stuck with them during those few years. Mana hadn’t taken part in the project, understandably so; apparently, the trio had dived headfirst into ‘forbidden’ territory.

  
  


It was dangerous and they knew it. It was risky and they knew it.

  
  


But that hadn’t stopped them. They was desperate… desperate for the sake of something.

  
  


Someone.

  
  


“Have I ever lied to you, Marian?”

  
  


He snapped out of his stupor, bending over in howling laughter. “You? Lie to me? No way.” Cross whipped out another cigarette, ready to light it. “You didn’t lie. You’re just an idiot.”

  
  


“What-?”

  
  


“I’ll tell you later,” he deflected, eyeing the others in the room who were listening rather intently to their conversation.

  
  


Komui, being the responsible adult he was, stepped forward and broke the silence on the Order’s end. “This sounds like a serious matter. Cross, does it affect any of our Exorcists? Because if it does, I’ll need you to explain who and what it affects.”

  
  


“Well,” started the General, “it’s not that important. And don’t bother trying to milk information out of either of us.”

  
  


“What you don’t know won’t hurt you, huh?” Lavi hummed. He pushed himself off the wall, face hardened. “If this has something to do with the Noah, I’m calling Bookman.”

  
  


“Then it’s a good thing that this doesn’t concern those assholes.” Cross shrugged. No one caught his lie - save Ewan, of course.

  
  


“And what about Allen?” asked the Chief. “His body?”

  
  


He chuckled. “A kid, he is.” A beat of contemplation. “What was it again? A potion?”

  
  


“The Rejuvenation Potion 2.0 causes the consumer to revert both physically and mentally to their childhood years.” Link chimed in. “Walker went unconscious for approximately 3 hours, and when ‘Walker’ woke up, Ewan was in his place.”

  
  


“Clearly, something went wrong.”

  
  


“Don’t get smart with me, General.”

  
  


He tossed the remaining half of his cigarette aside. “Whatever. My idiot apprentice really has the worst luck, huh?”

  
  


“If he even has any luck, that is.” Mumbled Lavi.

  
  


“Can you… return the body to its original age?” Komui asked, clearly expecting something out of the General. “I’m sure that you have some type of age-adjusting spell, no?”

  
  


The Branch Chief must’ve been referring to Cross’ never-ageing complexion. The Black Order had suspected that the man had used some sort of magic; if Cross was trying to hide it, he was doing a pretty shitty job at it.

  
  


Cross didn’t show a hint of surprise. He must’ve had expected them to pick up on it. “No.”

  
  


“And why is that?”

  
  


He tsked, throwing his head to the side. Irritation marred his features, “that’s none of the Order’s business. Besides, it wouldn’t do any good for dear Ewan here.”

  
  


Link stepped up, eyes challenging. “General Cross-”

  
  


“No!” Cross slammed a fist on the wall, creating a crater where it had landed. “I won’t be tolerating all your Central bullshit anymore. You absolute idiots ruined a 34-year plan in the span of a morning-”

  
  


_“Marian Cross.”_

  
  


A shiver went down the man’s spine.

  
  


They spoke slowly as if lecturing a child. “Calm your fucking ass.”

  
  


A gulp.

  
  


“Now explain it to me; _who is Drew_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not too sure when i'll update next BUT i'll have like a two week break in february so :D


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